Zara Qairina bullying case: Heavy security at KK Court Complex as 5 teens to face charges
KOTA KINABALU (Aug 20): Five teenage girls are scheduled to be charged at the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex this morning with bullying the late Zara Qairina Mahathir.
Personnel from the Kota Kinabalu Police District Headquarters could be seen conducting security controls in front of the complex.
This follows the many rallies and gatherings calling for justice for the SMKA Tun Mustapha student, who was found unconscious at her school dormitory in Papar on July 16 and then pronounced dead the following day at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Yesterday, the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) clarified that the prosecution of five minors in Zara Qairina Mahathir's case will be made under Section 507C(1) of the Penal Code because it is related to bullying only and not to the death of the 13-year-old girl.
The AGC explained that the decision to charge the five teenagers under Section 507C(1) was based on a thorough review of the investigation papers.
The clarification follows a press statement by the lawyer representing Noraida Lamat, the mother of the Zara Qairina, who had requested a postponement of the prosecution process and proposed that the teens be charged under Section 507D(2), which carries a heavier penalty.
Related stories:
AGC: Prosecution of five teens related only to bullying, not to death of Zara Qairina
AGC: Several suspects to be charged in Zara Qairina bullying case bullying Kota Kinabalu Court Complex Zara Qairina Mahathir
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
23 minutes ago
- The Star
Man who claimed to be pathologist has history of scams, says Fahmi
KUALA LUMPUR: The man who claimed to be a pathologist who was involved in the post-mortem examination of Zara Qairina Mahathir has a history of conducting scams, says Datuk Fahmi Fadzil ( pic ). The Communications Minister said there some blindly believe whatever they see on social media. "Some fall victim to deepfake scams, some believe there is a cable car in Gerik, some believe that Zara died in a washing machine. "There was even a so-called 'pathologist' on TikTok but when we checked with the Health Ministry, there was no such person (registered with them). "He in fact had a history of scams," said Fahmi when winding up the 13th Malaysian Plan (13MP) in Parliament on Wednesday (Aug 20).. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had recorded a statement from the person who falsely claimed to have conducted Zara's autopsy. According to the MCMC on Aug 19, the individual was at the Dang Wangi police headquarters to have his statement recorded. The police said a 51-year-old man was arrested after posting a TikTok video alleging that Zara Qairina's death was a planned murder. Fahmi echoed concerns by the Sabah Journalists Association (SJA) that recently criticised the actions of several social media influencers who were blending in with mainstream journalists were covering court cases involving the late Zara Qairina. He said it was concerning that these parties were disregarding journalistic integrity for profit. Fahmi said Malaysians should be aware that social media influencers do not necessarily provide verified information and the people should always obtain their information from the mainstream media. Fahmi said he instructed the Information Department, Bernama and RTM to raise awareness among the public to understand that not everything on social media is verified. The SJA on Aug 19 had said social media influencers had undermined journalists covering the Zara Qairina court case by monetising livestreams.
The Star
23 minutes ago
- The Star
Psychiatric examination for foreign student who ran amok with knife
KAJANG: The university student who was charged with eight counts of attempted murder and causing injury to seven victims has been ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation for one month. Sessions Court Judge Normastura Ayub and Magistrate Fatin Dayana Jalil made the ruling after allowing an application by Deputy Public Prosecutors Faelly Jeffrey Lanjungan and Siti Nur Alia Safri, who said the accused, Chinese national Liu Ting, 24, appeared confused and did not understand the charges read out. The court did not allow bail for the accused and ordered the woman to be sent to Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta, Tanjung Rambutan in Perak for a psychiatric examination, in addition to setting case mention for Sept 19. Previously, Faelly did not offer bail because the charges against the accused were serious and non-bailable and also requested that the accused be sent to Hospital Bahagia for psychiatric evaluation. In the Sessions Court, Liu pled not guilty to three charges, namely intent to murder two men, aged 19 and 21, and causing injury to a 35-year-old woman, and if the accused had caused death, she would be guilty of murder. The charge is under Section 307 of the Penal Code, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine. If the act causes injury to any person, the offender will be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted. She also pleaded not guilty to other two charges of causing grievous bodily harm to a 60-year-old woman by slashing her right arm with a knife and stabbing a 27-year-old man in the stomach. Both charges were filed under Section 326 of the Penal Code, which provides for a prison sentence of up to 20 years and a fine or whipping, if convicted. Meanwhile, in the Magistrate's Court, the accused was also charged with causing injury to two men, aged 21 and 49, as well as a woman aged 53. Liu understood the three charges read out by the interpreter but remained silent. All three charges are under Section 324 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum imprisonment of 10 years or a fine or whipping or any two of those punishments, if convicted. The eight offences were allegedly committed at Jalan Besar, at the Semenyih Persimpangan Metropoint junction and at a premises in the Metropoint Complex here, between 11.39am and noon on Aug 13. A video of the incident went viral on social media, showing a woman exiting her vehicle holding a knife after she was involved in an accident. Several injured motorcyclists could be seen and as bystanders tried to restrain the woman. – Bernama
New Straits Times
23 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Pants pulled down, punched in face; boy in Pasir Mas alleges bullying
PASIR MAS: A 15-year-old student has been left traumatised after he was repeatedly bullied by six Form Four students at a secondary school here over the past month. The victim said he had endured multiple assaults since early August but the worst incident occurred on Aug 18 during the afternoon break. "They came and punched me on the face and head. They also pulled down my pants. "This was not the first time. They have done it to me several times this month. "I don't know the real reason. Maybe they thought it was a joke, but their actions were too much," said the third of four siblings. The victim's mother, 44, said her son initially tried to hide the bullying incidents from the family but finally opened up when they lodged a police report. "At first he kept quiet, but when we went to the police station he revealed everything. They not only beat him, they almost strangled him, and his pants were pulled down to his knees. "For nearly a month, he had been bullied every day whenever the teacher was not in class. "The seniors would enter his classroom, and my son would try to hide in the toilet or under the stairs," she said when met at Kampung Lemal today. She said her son sustained red marks on his face and bruises on his back. A doctor confirmed the injuries. She urged the police and Education Ministry to take stern action. "Teachers must monitor classrooms closely and security in schools needs to be improved. "Parents also need to know the proper channels to report bullying. I don't want what happened to my son to happen to other children," she said, adding that her son had started trauma counselling and is now afraid to return to school. His grandfather, a former soldier, said the family of the suspects had requested for the police report to be withdrawn. "But all my children disagreed and asked me not to withdraw the case. We want this to serve as a lesson," he said. Police have since arrested six students, all aged 16, in connection with the case. They have been remanded until Aug 25 to assist investigations under Section 323 and Section 507B of the Penal Code, as well as Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017.
